A New Wybie
by TheOtherKatieE.R
Summary: When Wybie Lovat gets hit with reality, his self esteem immediately goes south. Between the stutter, the scoliosis, and his other weird habits, all he wants is to be a normal boy. A new Wybie.
1. A Wake Up Call

Wybie was perched on the old tree stump on one crisp August day, when suddenly a drop of rain plopped onto his pointed nose.

"Agh, rain again? Jeez, why can't O-Oregon be more like California?" he asked the Cat, that silently licked his paw and then nodded agreeingly at Wybie.

Wybie sighed. "W-where's Coraline? She said she'd meet me here-" he stuttered, when Coraline came running and slipping on the trail to the stump.

"I'm here! I'm here! Sorry, I had to go through my whole room to find my leggings." She said, pointing to her striped leggings.

"Yeah, you look like you went through a lot. Y-you're filthy!" Wybie teased.

"Who are you, my mother?" Coraline asked, playfully slugging his banged-up arm that's in dire need of bandaging and repair.

Wybie winced at his own displeasure, then rubbed his neck and massaged the back of the Cat's ear, causing it to purr. "S-so… whaddya wanna do today?" he asked.

Coraline shrugged. "I dunno. Wanna come to my house?"

Wybie flipped out his new cell phone. "Sure. Just lemme call Gramma s-so she'll know I'm th-there." He explained, then dialing his house phone number.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Just got it yesterday, Ain't i- oh, hey Gramma. I'm going o-over Jonesy's for a little while, kay? … No, I won't break anything." he stopped and rolled his eyes. "O-okay, Gramma? ... Thanks. B-bye!" he said, then ending his conversation and tucked his cell phone in his huge pocket. "Oh, sorry. Anyway, gramma got it for me."

"Why? You have no one to call!"  
"W-well… I have you and gramma!" He said, trying to make a point.

"That's the crappiest excuse I've ever heard."

"…"

"Whatever. Let's go." She said, turning around and heading back to the Pink Palace. Wybie followed right behind her.

The two of them were right next to each other, trudging down the muddy trail, when Coraline suddenly bashed Wybie's arm again. He screamed in pain.

"AGH! Coraline! W-what was that for?"

"For being yourself."

"I-I'm sorry... I think..." he said.

"You better be. Fix your slouch... and while you're at it, stop cracking your voice." Coraline commanded.

Wybie looked at her like she was stupid. "I-I have scoliosis! And b-blame puberty for my voice, n-not me." he explained, looking down at his tennis shoes and asking why he was so... not normal.

_Why can't I just be an average kid?_ he asked himself.

_Because you're a weirdo. You always will be._ a voice told him in his mind, and he didn't know who's. It made him angry at his anti-normality. He tugged on his curls with fury to make the voices stop.

_Creep... stalker... weirdo... nerd... dork... jerkwad... TOOL. _

The voices kept echoing annoyingly in his brain, his lips and eyebrows quivering as the anger continued building in his mind.

He suddenly turned around in front of Coraline and angrily pushed her to the ground, eyes shut so tight it started to hurt, and unaware of what he just did. He suddenly looked down at his best- make that ONLY- friend, drenched in smelly mud, elbows supporting her body on the ground.

"I'm s-sorry, okay! I-I... I need to be left a-alone... I'm just... I'm sorry." he uttered. throwing his hands in the air frustratedly and sobbing to himself as he ran back up the trail to his house.

_God, I can't even SPEAK right. What's wrong with me?_

**Poor Wybie! Let's see what happens next, shall we?**


	2. Gramma's Words Of Wisdom

Wybie slipped as he ran back up the muddy trail, taking a shortcut to the old well, then making a U-turn, and finally reaching his Gramma's old, faded Victorian home. He ran in as soon as he could, locking the door, then ripping off his coat and placing it on the coathanger.

_If I'm gonna hug Gramma, I KNOW she won't want my muddy coat all over her. _"GRAMMA! ... Gramma, where are you?"

"Boy, I'm right here in the kitchen! What's all that hollerin' for-" Wybie's Gramma replied, her waist was suddenly warm and was being squeezed by her grandson. "Wybourne, what's the matter with you? Oh, dear..." she said.

Wybie's entire complexion was an alarming red, and forced tears were flowing down his face violently. Something was wrong.

"Oh, Gramma! What's w-wrong with me?" he squealed, his voice was suddenly pitchy and cracking.

_Puberty strikes again. Ugh..._

"Boy, whatever do you mean? I see you as a completely normal, growing boy." Gramma said, rubbing his slouched back.

Wybie sneered at her. "Don't l-lie to me, Gramma. L-listen. I've got a st-stutter, scoliosis, hair that looks like a r-rat's nest, pointy ears, and I hunt B-BANANA SLUGS. W-who do you know who hunts banana s-slugs?" he growled.

Gramma looked to her side and faced down, disappointed that Wybie was right- he WASN'T a normal boy.

"Come here, Wybie, baby." she called. He clutched his arms around her and sniffled.

"Oh, Wybourne, what _am_ I going to do with you? If your hormones are this bad NOW, wait 'til you're 15! Ugh..." Gramma thought aloud, petting Wybie's head when he made a shocked face. His face went even redder.

"Gramma! ..." he said. They released from their embrace when Wybie started running upstairs to his room to call up Coraline to help him with a new project. "Hey, Gramma?" he called, half-way up the stairs.

"Yes, dear?"

"... I'm gonna fix this."

"... Hm... okay, baby."

"Would you like a cheese stick?"

"Uhh... yyy... n-n-n-no... thank you?"

_You're off to a good start, Wybie._


End file.
